novelraw Chapter 20
Chapter 20
"Here." Tang You'an bent down, picked up a lipstick, and held it out to Song Xici.
Song Xici startled, quickly snatched the lipstick from her hand, and turned away to apply it using a small mirror.
"Xici." Tang You'an called her name.
"What?"
"Nothing, I'm just happy." Tang You'an stood beside her.
The flush hadn't completely faded from Song Xici's face, so she pressed her cool hand to her cheek for a moment.
"So... let me ask you, how did you feel when I hugged and kissed you?" After a while, Song Xici set down the lipstick and turned slightly.
Tang You'an paused, then gazed at the night sky, pondering. She glanced around before answering softly, "I felt very happy, like we were finally inseparable, and you finally considered me a friend."
Just a friend... For some reason, these words should have been reassuring, but Song Xici couldn't feel happy about it.
"Is that so?" Song Xici asked, turning her head.
Tang You'an nodded. "Yes, I'm quite happy."
"So if you made other friends besides me, would you... do this with them too?" Song Xici turned to face her.
Tang You'an looked at her, thinking for a long moment. She was about to speak when Song Xici interrupted her.
"That's fine. I was just asking. Don't mind me. Do whatever you want with them."
It was time for Song Xici to film her scene. She unbuttoned her coat, took it off, exhaled, smiled at Tang You'an, and walked away.
Tang You'an watched her leave, lowered her head in thought, and finally sat down on a chair. She sensed something odd about Song Xici but couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
Song Xici reached the director, smiled again, and went to stand beside her co-star, ready to film.
Before the director called "Action." Song Xici glanced at Tang You'an in the distance, bit her lip, then looked away.
However, this shoot didn't go particularly smoothly; Song Xici had several takes. Fortunately, her final take was exceptional, earning applause from the director.
On the way back, Song Xici seemed rather gloomy.
Unable to resist, Tang You'an asked, "What's wrong? Is it because the filming didn't go well?"
"No, it's nothing." Song Xici shook her head.
Seeing she didn't want to talk, Tang You'an said nothing more.
At home, Song Xici fed the fish and stood watching for a while.
"Xici, are you free tomorrow?" Suddenly, Tang You'an stood beside her and asked.
"Why?" Song Xici turned to look at her.
"I'm free tomorrow. Xiaobao and Li Man invited me out. Do you want to join?" Tang You'an smiled. "Since coming here, I haven't really gone out much, just back and forth between home and the set."
"Oh... I'm free tomorrow, but... I have plans to meet my best friends." Song Xici said.
"I see..." Tang You'an sighed.
"Yeah." Song Xici nodded.
"Alright. You look tired tonight. Get some sleep soon, don't stay up too late." Tang You'an said.
"Mm." Song Xici nodded. "You too, sleep early."
Afterward, Song Xici watched Tang You'an's retreating figure, tossed the fish food aside, and turned to shake her fist at the grass carp.
She'd gone mad.
The next day.
When Song Xici got up, Tang You'an had already left.
After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she walked to the dining table to find breakfast already prepared. A small plate of fruit salad, two slices of toast, a poached egg, and a glass of warm milk.
Sitting down, Song Xici adjusted her pajama belt, picked up the glass of milk, took a sip, licked her lips, set it down, and stared at the food, lost in thought.
Since discovering her stomach problems, Tang You'an always made her breakfast. If the timing was off, she'd call to remind her. An outsider might think they were a genuinely loving couple.
After finishing breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, Song Xici bit her lip and checked the calendar. Realizing it was the day she'd planned to meet her friends Meng Meng and Zhou Yi for dinner, she returned to her room for a nap.
When the alarm went off, Song Xici got up again and began selecting clothes for the outing.
After comparing outfits, she chose a black turtleneck sweater and a smoke-gray coat. She curled her hair with a styling iron, applied light makeup, and left for the meeting place.
Winter's chill intensified with each passing day. The moment she stepped out of the car, Song Xici shivered from head to toe.
The dinner venue was an old, established Chinese restaurant with an antique-looking signboard.
Opening the door to their reserved private room, a fragrant incense wafted out. A screen stood inside, inlaid with double-sided Su embroidery depicting Chang'e flying to the moon, the needlework exquisitely lifelike.
As soon as Song Xici was led in by the waiter, she saw Meng Meng and Zhou Yi already seated.
"Xici, Xici, come quickly!" Meng Meng stood up, waving frantically.
After months apart, Meng Meng seemed to have grown even fairer. Today she wore a jade green coat, a ruby ring on her finger, her hair styled in a poodle cut. On most people, such an outfit might look ridiculous, but on her, it exuded a vintage charm.
Song Xici smiled, hurried over, and threw herself into a bear hug with Meng Meng.
"Ah, Meng Meng, I've missed you so much!" Song Xici exclaimed.
"Haha, it's really rare, isn't it? Unlike when we were in school, now we have to make appointments to see you, Ms. Busy!" Meng Meng teased.
"Haha, not at all..." Song Xici released her and turned to Zhou Yi. "Zhou Yi, you came back to the country without telling me? Don't you consider me a friend anymore?! Have you forgotten we were once the Three Musketeers of the campus?"
"I just got back and have been dealing with matters at my father's company. Knowing you were busy too, I didn't contact you."
Zhou Yi sat opposite, wearing a fitted black English-style coat, her hair in a high ponytail, a silver earring in her right ear, and light makeup on her striking features.
She was beautiful in an aggressive way that might inspire envy and resentment in some straight women. But her expression was mostly blank; a stranger might mistake her for a cold-blooded killer.
Combined with her typically aloof nature and voice, she always gave an impression of detachment. During their school days, most people were too intimidated to approach her, leaving her mostly solitary.
Song Xici and Meng Meng's friendship with her had been a coincidence.
One dark and windy night, Song Xici and Meng Meng were drunkenly stumbling back to campus, arm in arm, after discussing their family troubles over drinks. They encountered two or three unsavory men.
Just as they thought they were in trouble, the sound of high heels clicking nearby suddenly stopped. Song Xici and Meng Meng looked up to see a tall, slim, beautiful woman with a high ponytail sweep one long, high-heeled leg across, knocking one of the thugs to the ground, howling.
Song Xici and Meng Meng, sitting to the side, couldn't help but burst into applause.
Later, when they sobered up, Song Xici and Meng Meng searched the entire campus for Zhou Yi, taking her out for meals, karaoke, and video games. Somehow, the three became friends and were known as the campus's Three Musketeers.
However, in recent years, due to personality differences and time zone issues, Zhou Yi rarely chatted with them online.
"Let's order first." Zhou Yi said, placing the menu on the table and pushing it towards Song Xici.
"Okay." Song Xici made an "OK" gesture.
After ordering, Song Xici thought for a moment, then asked Zhou Yi, "So you've decided to work under your father after all?"
"The family fortune shouldn't flow to outsiders." Zhou Yi replied, then picked up the teapot, leisurely poured herself a cup, rinsed it, and emptied it into a small bucket.
"Impressive, impressive. But it seems I'm the least accomplished among us three, huh?" Meng Meng said, cracking sunflower seeds.
"What do you mean, accomplished or not?" Song Xici glanced at her.
"It's true! Look at you, a big star, no need to say more. Zhou Yi, about to be a CEO, how great! Me... running a Taobao store... even if it's a crown-level store... but..." Meng Meng sighed, slumping onto the table. "And still no boyfriend..."
Song Xici laughed, then opened her bag and took out two VIP discount cards, giving one to Meng Meng and one to Zhou Yi. "Alright, don't think about unhappy things. If you really want to start your own business, do you think Zhou Yi and I would just stand by? Oh, and these are VIP annual discount cards for a dessert shop my industry friend opened. 80% off!"
"Ah, thank you, thank you!" Meng Meng took it, grinning happily.
"Thanks." Zhou Yi pocketed hers, then looked up at Song Xici. "How are things between you and Tang You'an lately? It seems it's been a while since I've seen you ranting about her in the group chat."
"You actually check our little group's chat history?" Meng Meng asked incredulously.
"Occasionally." Zhou Yi replied concisely.
Song Xici slowly zipped up her bag, her lips curving into a smile. "Just like that. She's been... more obedient lately."
"Are you still planning to divorce her?" Zhou Yi refilled her tea and took a sip.
"Huh?" Song Xici was momentarily stunned, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the edge of her cup.
"Have you developed feelings?" Zhou Yi observed her fingers, then looked up at her face.
"Ha, how could that be possible?!" Song Xici lifted her teacup and took a drink. "That would be absurd."
Just then, a waiter entered with their dishes, setting them on the table before leaving.
"Is that so?" Zhou Yi seemed doubtful. "Actually, dating might be good for you."
"What's the point of dating? Even if it's all lovey-dovey and happy at first, you end up getting sick of each other in the end. Because of the initial hormones, you overlook all their flaws, but later it completely flips, and you magnify every flaw. You might even get irritated by how they hold their chopsticks. Not to mention someone like me with strong possessiveness and pettiness, with a whole basket of flaws. Eventually, they'll think, 'God, why did I ever date this idiot...'" Song Xici rattled off, finally pausing to catch her breath and drink some water.
She continued, "Later on, you might even end up throwing plates and bowls over disagreements about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Living like that is worse than being alone. And who knows if you'll be deceived again... Besides, she and I are just friends. She sees me as a friend, and I... I don't like women."
"I think your fear of relationships hasn't improved." Zhou Yi said calmly.
Song Xici paused, then picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of spare ribs.
Meng Meng, caught between the two, looked from one to the other before sipping her soup.
"You're too insecure and sensitive. Actually, dating isn't as bad as you think. It's like life itself - there are calm times, bumpy times, and happy times. Everything is uncertain. You can't avoid moving forward just because you think something bad might happen in the future, can you?" Zhou Yi said.
Meng Meng set down her spoon and applauded Zhou Yi.
"Insecure? Sensitive? But living is necessary for me, love isn't." Song Xici suddenly looked up at her.
"If you haven't developed feelings for someone, then love is optional. But if you have, it matters. After all, constantly avoiding it is much harder than following your heart and having a good relationship." Zhou Yi stared at her.
"What about you?" Song Xici suddenly asked.
"What about me?" Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You and Chang Ye broke up years ago, and you're still single. Have you moved on? Are you brave enough to accept a new relationship?" Song Xici shook her head, smiling. "Besides, what I've seen is that love is meaningless. Look at my parents, look at Zhang Ke and me, look at you and Chang Ye. Who among us is happy?"
Meng Meng gulped down a second bowl of soup. As someone who had been single her entire life, she didn't dare speak.
"At that time, my financial support was cut off, and my dad wouldn't even let me in the door. But I was still optimistic, thinking I'd go back and show them when Zhang Ke and I made it. But what a joke! I was working day and night in the film city, going wherever I was needed, writing promotional articles when no one needed me to make money. And him? He was looking for rich older women at various clubs... I used to never do housework, but for this damn love, I learned to cook, put in a huge effort to make a bunch of food and drinks for him, waiting. In the end, the food got cold, and he called to break up..." As Song Xici spoke about these things, she no longer felt the urge to cry. She wasn't the ocean, not that overflowing.
She just kept reminding herself, never again, absolutely never again, to nip any potential in the bud.
"I feel... it's so easy to act foolishly and lose myself when in love..." Finally, Song Xici rubbed her forehead.
Perhaps because Song Xici usually wore a smiling mask for everyone, when this sealed box of words was opened, it poured out like the unstoppable Yellow River, impossible to contain.
Zhou Yi listened without responding, suddenly falling silent. She picked up her chopsticks and bit into a slice of lotus root.
"Don't worry, don't overthink it. I'm raising her like a daughter..." Song Xici took a deep breath, picked up her chopsticks, and stuffed a large piece of cod into her mouth.
"Daughter?!" This time, not only was Meng Meng shocked, but even Zhou Yi was dumbfounded.
"Do you want to get a medical check-up?" Zhou Yi suggested.
"Uh, my brain might be a bit muddled, but it's not broken." Finally, Song Xici looked down at her teacup, as if waking from a dream, composing herself.
"Mm." Zhou Yi nodded.
"Oh right, since we rarely get together, let's take a photo!" Meng Meng took out her phone, waving at Song Xici and Zhou Yi.
Meanwhile, Tang You'an was sitting in the backseat of Li Man's car, looking out at the scenery.
The city's architecture was quite beautiful, but the music in the car was too loud, giving her a headache.
"So, You'an, where did you learn to ride and shoot? You really gave us face today!" Li Man, with her super short hair, chewing gum, turned down the blaring music slightly. "Haha, did you see those losers' dejected faces afterward? Hilarious!"
They had just been horseback riding and archery shooting. Li Man had a conflict with another rich kid, so three people from each side competed.
Unexpectedly, Tang You'an outperformed everyone and won.
"Yeah! Sister An was so badass today!" Shi Xiaobao rolled her eyes, continuing to drink her probiotic drink.
"They were just too incompetent." Tang You'an turned back, replying coolly.
Indeed, the other group was both unskilled and pretentious.
"Yo, why so polite? You don't seem like yourself at all!" Li Man teased while turning the steering wheel. After all, in her impression, Tang You'an was always flamboyant in everything she did.
"I'm merely stating facts." Tang You'an replied.
"Come on, eat something!" Tang Hongya in the front passenger seat turned around, offering a box of cut fruit to Shi Xiaobao, spearing a piece of tangerine for her.
"Sister An, here..." Then, Tang Hongya pushed the fruit box towards Tang You'an, spearing a piece of dragon fruit for her.
"No thanks, I don't feel like eating." Tang You'an shook her head.
"Why? Didn't you used to love this?" Tang Hongya asked.
It seemed her original self must have liked this speckled fruit... Thinking this, to avoid suspicion, Tang You'an accepted it.
Surprisingly, she quite enjoyed the taste of this speckled fruit.
Tang You'an opened her phone, intending to send Song Xici a message about eating a delicious speckled fruit and wanting to know what it was called. But seeing red dots in her Moments feed, she opened that first.
Fairy Sister: "Met my best friends, couldn't be happier! Today we're just catching up, no work talk. No one's allowed to disturb us, haha!"
The accompanying photo showed her standing between two women, smiling brightly.
No disturbances? Was she included in that? Thinking this, Tang You'an put her phone away.
Meanwhile, after lunch, Song Xici, Meng Meng, and Zhou Yi decided to see a movie together.
Since the film they wanted to see was nearly out of theaters, many cinemas had large gaps between showtimes. They bought tickets for 4:30 PM, but it was only 2:30 PM. With two hours to kill, they decided to wander around.
Song Xici knew this street so well she could navigate it blindfolded. Having lost its novelty, she found herself distracted, unconsciously thinking about Tang You'an.
What were they doing now? Was it fun? While playing, did Tang You'an's thoughts drift to her, as hers did to Tang You'an?
Beside her, Meng Meng, arm linked with hers, seemed to never tire of shopping and constantly bought snacks, feeding bites to Song Xici and Zhou Yi.
"Aside from Chang Ye, I've lost the ability to develop feelings for anyone else." Zhou Yi suddenly said as they walked.
Song Xici and Meng Meng turned to look at her in unison.
"You still love her?" Meng Meng asked.
"I don't know. It's been so long since I've seen her, I'm not sure how I'd feel if we met again. Often, what people imagine is far from reality. It's like... even a favorite old TV series, when rewatched, might not be as good as remembered. The memory of it being good might just be a filter we've added." Zhou Yi said, looking down at the ground.
"That's deep. But I think I get it." Meng Meng said, biting into a sausage.
"Isn't Chang Ye in the entertainment industry now? Have you watched her dramas or variety shows?" Song Xici asked.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi looked up at her, then shook her head after a moment.
"I suppose that makes sense. The domestic and Hollywood circles are worlds apart. You never paid attention to these things anyway, and being abroad for so long, it's normal you wouldn't know she became a celebrity. Besides, she's not exactly famous here. Though I'm not popular now, she's even less so." Song Xici turned her head.
Zhou Yi said nothing more, just turned away again.
Song Xici glanced at her phone.
Tang You'an, who usually called or messaged her frequently, hadn't bothered her at all today. She must be having a good time.
"Hey, it's almost time. Let's go to the cinema!" Meng Meng suddenly shouted as Song Xici was checking her phone.
"Oh..." Song Xici nodded and started walking.
But just then, her phone screen lit up, displaying Tang You'an's name.
Song Xici's heart skipped a beat.
She unlocked the phone and held it to her ear: "Hello? What is it?"
"I just wanted to ask how things are on your end? Are you still together? If not, would you like to come have dinner with us?" Tang You'an asked.
Song Xici paused, looking back at Meng Meng and Zhou Yi, scratching her head. "We..."
"Is something up?" Meng Meng asked.
"Not really..." Song Xici shook her head. "She's asking me to go for dinner."
"She? You mean Tang You'an?" Meng Meng smiled.
"I already promised to watch the movie with you. I'll tell Tang You'an..." Song Xici moved the phone away, covering the mouthpiece.
"Don't bother. Go ahead. Meng Meng and I can watch together." Zhou Yi spoke up. "It's just a movie, not some essential group activity."
"I..."
"Go on, go on! Have a good meal and enjoy yourself!" Meng Meng smiled, patting her shoulder.
"Alright." Song Xici finally nodded, then put the phone back to her ear. "Give me the address where you plan to go."
After watching Song Xici leave, Meng Meng stood beside Zhou Yi, squinting as she sipped her bubble tea. "I still think something's fishy. Maybe she doesn't like her that much, but I don't believe Song Xici has no feelings for Tang You'an at all. After all, if they were just ordinary friends, would she leave us behind?"
Zhou Yi turned to look at her without speaking, then walked towards the shopping mall where their cinema was located.
Meanwhile, as soon as Tang You'an sat down in the restaurant, she began earnestly searching the menu for dishes Song Xici liked.
She couldn't resist calling Song Xici earlier.
Spicy crayfish, steamed fish with black bean sauce, yam and pork rib soup... Before she knew it, she had ordered quite a lot.
After ordering, Tang You'an closed the menu and handed it to Li Man.
"Wow, ordering so much?" Li Man teased.
"Xici likes these." Tang You'an replied.
"By the way, have you two really gotten along well recently?" Li Man glanced at the menu, then looked up at her.
"We do get along well, it's just..." Tang You'an frowned slightly. "Sometimes I don't quite understand her."
"When?" Shi Xiaobao asked.
"Like last night, everyone was happy, she even hugged and kissed me in public, but later she suddenly stopped paying attention to me." Tang You'an said. "I don't know what I did wrong."
"That doesn't sound right. You must have done something!" Li Man turned to the waiter. "One plate of beef offal and one dry-pot bullfrog."
After ordering, Li Man passed the menu to Shi Xiaobao.
"Isn't this too much food?" Shi Xiaobao asked.
"No, I have another friend coming later." Li Man waved her hand.
"She asked how I felt when she kissed me." Tang You'an continued, addressing Li Man's earlier question. "I said I was quite happy."
"Damn, now I really don't understand. Your wife is hard to figure out." Li Man threw up her hands.
Tang You'an sighed deeply, not responding.
"But you know, learning how to date is necessary too. You... keep at it!" Li Man smiled, then started playing Honor of Kings with Shi Xiaobao.
Dating...
Although Tang You'an didn't know what dating meant, she knew she couldn't fall in love with Song Xici. Because Song Xici had told her many times that if she fell in love with her, she would terminate the contract early.
Song Xici was so averse to this thing; if Tang You'an crossed the line, they probably couldn't even remain friends. She didn't want to lose Song Xici as a friend, even if she knew many other people.
Just then, the private room door opened, and a woman walked in.
"The traffic on that stretch was killing me." the woman, wearing exquisite makeup and carrying a Hermès bag, complained as she entered, rubbing her neck.
"Haha, can't be helped. Who told you not to come earlier, right?" Li Man laughed. "Let me introduce everyone. This is my new friend, Shen Ke, daughter of East Chen Company's chairman."
"Hello!" Shi Xiaobao and Tang Hongya waved at her, smiling sweetly.
Shen Ke smiled back. However, as she was about to sit next to Li Man, her gaze was caught by Tang You'an sitting beside her.
When Li Man introduced her, this young lady seemed to have no reaction?
So Shen Ke sat down next to Tang You'an instead, resting her chin on her interlaced hands as she turned to look at her.
However, Tang You'an continued pouring tea for herself, unbothered. Admittedly, Tang You'an's profile was perfect, exuding an otherworldly elegance far more beautiful than on TV.
"Hi." Shen Ke finally greeted her softly.
"Hello, can I help you?" Tang You'an replied, holding her teacup.
"No, I just wanted to chat..." Shen Ke placed a hand on Tang You'an's wrist, slowly pressing down the hand holding the cup.
Tang You'an looked down at the teacup, then at Shen Ke's face, before discreetly withdrawing her hand. "Chat about what?"
"I heard you've changed recently, so I'm curious." Shen Ke withdrew her hand as well. "Why is that?"
"Do you think it's for better or worse?" Tang You'an looked into her eyes.
Shen Ke laughed lightly. "Of course for the better..."
"Then why is Miss Shen still puzzled? Isn't it natural for people to improve and water to flow downward?" Tang You'an raised an eyebrow.
"It is natural..." Shen Ke played with her chopsticks. "You've become much more charming."
"Then I'll graciously accept the compliment." Tang You'an said, checking the time on her phone.
Li Man and the others exchanged glances, unsure what to say. After all, Shen Ke's family background was more impressive than theirs.
Just then, waiters began bringing in the dishes.
Shen Ke looked around, then picked up her chopsticks. "Let's eat."
But while everyone else started eating, Tang You'an didn't touch her chopsticks. Shen Ke, after finishing a piece of fish, looked at Tang You'an again. "Why aren't you eating?"
"My wife hasn't arrived yet. Please go ahead." Tang You'an said.
"Wow, you're so good to her?" Shen Ke smiled, then picked up a piece of fish and held it to Tang You'an's lips. "Have a bite, it's fine. Come on. Do me a favor, don't be so difficult."
Tang You'an turned to look at her, about to politely refuse, when Song Xici pushed open the door.
"Sorry everyone, the traffic was terrible..." Song Xici said breathlessly, holding the door handle. However, her breath caught as she took in the scene before her.
"Xici!" Seeing her, Tang You'an immediately smiled, ignoring Shen Ke and walking towards Song Xici.
However, for reasons unknown even to herself, Song Xici felt a pang in her nose and suddenly turned, quickly walking down the hallway to the elevator, pressing the down button.
"What's wrong?" Tang You'an caught up and grabbed her arm.
"Nothing, just thinking you all seem to be having a great time." Song Xici shook off her hand.
"Huh?"
"Very good, excellent. You've grown up, learned to integrate into society. Your mother is deeply proud! Given that I have work to do, I won't join your fun. I'm leaving now, enjoy yourselves!" Song Xici said, then entered the open elevator, clutching her bag strap and keeping her head down.
Tang You'an followed her in without a word.
As the elevator descended, neither spoke.
When the doors opened, Song Xici walked straight ahead, not even glancing sideways.
Finally, Tang You'an caught her arm and pulled her to a corner hidden by green plants.
"I've been here for a while now, constantly learning, trying to become what you expect. But there are bound to be oversights. Years ago, on an outing with my master, I killed two people. My master felt my temperament was too violent, my emotions too detached, and ignored me for a long time. After that, I never did such a thing again. So if there's anything about me that displeases you, you can point it out. I can correct it; you don't need to make yourself miserable." Tang You'an said, gazing at her with calm eyes.
"You... you killed two people on an outing?" Song Xici was stunned.
"Because they deserved it." Tang You'an said, then added, "At least, I thought so at the time."
"Wait! You're telling me this... aren't you afraid I'll get scared and tell everyone about your situation? You know, in this society, time travelers are considered freaks!" Song Xici said.
"Would you?" Tang You'an lowered her eyes, then looked at her sideways.
"How do you know I wouldn't?" Song Xici raised her chin slightly, staring at her.
"I merely deduced it from how panicked you looked last time when you thought I had left." Tang You'an smiled slightly, her gaze softening. "I'm not stupid. Otherwise, I would have caused you a lot of trouble by now."
So it wasn't through an emotional system, but through this kind of reasoning? Song Xici looked at her, biting her lip. She couldn't help thinking that this person was indeed an AI under the surface, unlovable. Bah, why was she thinking about this?!
"So, if you have any dissatisfaction with me, please say it directly." Tang You'an said.
"No, no dissatisfaction." Song Xici shook her head.
"Lying is not good." Tang You'an gazed into her eyes.
"I'm not!" Song Xici's voice rose in agitation.
"Shh—" Tang You'an covered her lips with her hand, glancing around. "We can't draw attention in public. If rumors of discord spread, it would be bad for you."
Song Xici was taken aback, then quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was watching.
"I won't approach anyone Xici doesn't want me to. I won't do anything you don't want me to do. And about Shen Ke, the one who offered me fish earlier, I don't know her well and barely spoke to her. She was being forceful, and I wasn't planning to eat it. Then you arrived." Tang You'an lowered her hand.
"Why are you explaining all this to me?" Song Xici pressed her lips together.
Tang You'an looked at her, thinking for a moment. "I don't know. I just wanted to tell you the truth."
Song Xici stared at her, momentarily speechless.
Then, Tang You'an smiled again. "Ah, are you hungry? I actually ordered a lot of your favorite dishes earlier, but now we can't eat them. What should we do... Shall we find another place?"
Tang You'an exhaled, standing beside a sign listing the restaurants on each floor, carefully reading it.
"Oh... right, how about we eat chili crab pot? I heard from a sister on set that it's really delicious. I've been wanting to take you to try it." Tang You'an suddenly said excitedly.
Song Xici stood there, petrified for a while, then stiffly gave a thumbs up. "OK..."
Tsk, back to being childlike in a second, Song Xici thought to herself.
After dinner, Tang You'an forcibly packed up the last crab and carried it out of the restaurant. As she and Song Xici were walking downstairs, intending to buy some of that speckled fruit, Song Xici received a call from Madam Lin Xing.
"Hello, Mom?" Song Xici answered, touching her lips. "What's up?"
"I'm at your place. Where are you two? When are you coming back?" Lin Xing asked.
"So sudden?" Song Xici was taken aback.
"Yes, it's sudden." Lin Xing replied.
"We'll, we'll be right back!" Song Xici said hurriedly.
"Good, I'll wait for you." Lin Xing said before hanging up.
"We're dead, we're so dead. Our rooms, you can tell we sleep separately... Oh no, and Big Fur, Second Fur, Third Fur that you killed..." Song Xici smacked her forehead, then hurried towards the parking lot.
Tang You'an watched her retreating figure, paused, then followed, carrying the crab and sprinting at breakneck speed.
Upon returning home and opening the door, Song Xici and Tang You'an saw Madam Lin Xing standing by the fish tank, wearing an apron with rolled-up sleeves, her teeth clenched and brows furrowed as she struggled to hold half a fish body.
"Mom! What are you doing?!" Song Xici screamed.
"What else? I'm taking it out to kill and cook, of course. What else would I do, keep it for New Year's?" Lin Xing turned her head, speaking nonchalantly.
Author's note: 10,000 words √